


A Sign of Trust

by audeamus22



Series: Signs 'Verse [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Deaf Character, M/M, deaf Gracie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-02-19 23:25:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2406743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/audeamus22/pseuds/audeamus22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for this prompt by <a href="http://samantha-kathy.livejournal.com/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://samantha-kathy.livejournal.com/"></a><b>samantha_kathy</b>: <span class="u">Danny talks with his hands for a reason: Grace is deaf. Steve knows this, but cannot sign himself, and Grace is not able to lip-read. But then for some reason Steve is left alone with Grace who falls ill (just something like the flu). How do you comfort a child if you cannot communicate very well with her? (Bonus points if physical contact comfort is really, really foreign to a touch-starved Steve).</span></p>
            </blockquote>





	A Sign of Trust

**Author's Note:**

> Just letting everyone know that I'm reposting these fics here from my Lj page (by the same name)!

**Title:** A Sign of Trust  
 **Characters:** Steve and Grace, Danno  
 **Fandom:** Hawaii Five-O  
 **Summary:** Written for this prompt by [](http://samantha-kathy.livejournal.com/profile)[**samantha_kathy**](http://samantha-kathy.livejournal.com/) : Danny talks with his hands for a reason: Grace is deaf. Steve knows this, but cannot sign himself, and Grace is not able to lip-read. But then for some reason Steve is left alone with Grace who falls ill (just something like the flu). How do you comfort a child if you cannot communicate very well with her? (Bonus points if physical contact comfort is really, really foreign to a touch-starved Steve).  
 **Rating:** G  
 **Spoilers:** None  
 **Word Count** : 1.500  
 **Warnings:** -  
 **Beta:** [](http://burned-phoenix.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://burned-phoenix.livejournal.com/)**burned_phoenix**  
 **Disclaimer:** In my dreams maybe, but I don't own them!

  
He stood back, nervous and awkward, as he watched his partner explain something to his daughter. His hands moving at an impossibly fast pace, eyes occasionally glancing at him as he spoke. Danny had been called away for a last minute meeting, and with Rachel and Stan away, Steve was the only one who could look after the precious young girl, Danny’s pride and joy.

“I shouldn’t be more than a few hours, okay? But I won’t have my phone on me. Please, don’t do anything crazy and do not, I repeat, do not do anything to scar my baby for life!” Danny ranted, turning away from Grace, his hands still flying around, but Steve could tell the difference between the precise sign language and this frantic hand waving.

“No worries Danny,” Steve said with a crocked smile, “Grace and I will be fine for a while, we’ll… colour or something..?” he added questioningly.

“‘Colour’ he says! What is she? Three? She has some of her movies, just make sure the subtitles are on, and watch out for her fever. There is some kids _Tylenol_ in her pack, you can give her some in a bit if she needs it…”

“Danny, it’s okay, I’ve got this,” Steve interrupted, trying to reassure not only Danny but also himself.

“Right, fine,” Danny nodded, waving ‘goodbye’ to his daughter before leaving Steve and Grace alone.

Steve stood awkwardly in the door way, watching Grace watch him. “How about those movies then?” Steve suggests, mentally hitting himself when Grace simply tilts her head in question. He didn’t know a word of sign language and she couldn’t lip-read and now, Steve had no idea what to do.

With Grace still watching him, Steve moved towards the little girl, sitting beside her as he went through the bag Danny had packed and pulled out the small pile of movies. He held them out and waited for Grace to pick one, her finger pointing at Mulan instantly. Steve nodded, quickly putting the movie on, ensuring there were subtitles, before sitting down at the other on of the couch somewhat uncomfortably.

He kept shooting Grace quick glances during the film, the little girl immersed in the Disney movie, but he soon became just as absorbed in the movie as she was. He was mentally laughing at the ridiculous training sessions when a slight movement beside him startled Steve. Grace was looking much worse than before. Her cheeks were flushed red and her eyes were slightly glazed over.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked, before realising how stupid he was being, of course she couldn’t hear him and she was obviously too scared to approach him with anything.  “Shit,” Steve cursed under his breath. He moved quickly, grabbing some medicine and water for Grace to take. After she took her medicine, Grace just looked at him, waiting for him to do something else, to make her feel better, her eyes pleading.

“I don’t know what to do…” Steve said in desperation, wishing that Grace had all the answers.

Grace, however, looked close to tears, she was sick and had been left alone with someone she barely knew, with no means of communication. Grace moved her hands around her neck, signing something Steve simply didn’t understand over and over again, obviously begging for something.

“I'm sorry baby,” Steve said, hating the fact that he was failing both Grace and Danny.

Grace huffed slightly, realising that her signing was getting her nowhere. Grabbing the pillow instead, she wrapped her arms around the soft cushion and buried her head in it, not wanting the man her Danno called a Super-SEAL to see her cry.

Steve collapsed back down on the couch, feeling just as frustrated as Grace obviously was. With a sigh, Steve placed a large but gentle hand to Grace’s back, rubbing it in what he hoped was a soothing manner. He could feel the little girl’s shoulder shudder slightly, and that was the last straw for Steve. Quickly, Steve managed to manoeuvre himself and Grace around until she was leaning up into his body, his arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders as she continued to cry. Grace buried her head into Steve’s side, her small arms wrapping around his middle.

She hated being sick and being away from her family, all she needed was a little bit of comfort, something that she was starting to realise this man didn’t know how to do very well. Steve was somewhat startled at how tightly Grace was clinging to him.

He wasn’t use to someone being this close to him, not with such an intimate and innocent touch. He smoothed Grace’s hair back, his hand cradling her slightly too warm head as he leant down and pressed his lips to the crown of Grace’s head, lips moving as he spoke quiet reassurances. He knew she didn’t understand what he was saying, but the intention was obvious. Soon, Grace’s body began to sag.  
The heart wrenching sobs turning into quiet whimpers as exhaustion started to take over. Steve was once again at a loss. The little girl was curling more into his body, trying to obtain some sort of warmth and comfort from him as she began to doze off. Steve knew however that the way she was, Grace would end up very sore after she woke up.

Without thinking too hard about it, Steve once again rearranged them so that he was lying flat against the couch. Grace’s body now draped completely over his. Steve wrapped his arms tight around her tiny frame, holding her securely in place as her own arms came up to wrap around his neck, her face hiding in the crook of his shoulder and neck.

“I’ve got you Sweetheart,” he whispered, the vibrations of his voice soothing as he pressed his lips once more to Grace’s hair, smiling into it when he heard the little girl sigh in relief.

Danny found them sleeping together like that a couple of hours later. A soft smile graced his face at the sight of his daughter sprawled all over his Navy hardened partner. Walking into the room, Danny placed a hand on Grace’s forehead, grateful that her temperature seemed normal. He felt a pair of eyes on him and looked up to see Steve staring at him.

“Everything okay?” Danny asked, not moving his hand from his slumbering daughter’s head.

“Yeah…” Steve mumbled.

“Good. Get some more rest, you look wiped,” Danny said softly, patting Grace’s hair, watching as Steve’s eyes closed once more, his arms still wrapped firmly around Grace.

Later that evening, with Grace fed and settled down in Mary’s old room for the night, Steve finally approached Danny about something that had been bothering him all afternoon.

“Danny?” Steve hesitated.

“Yeah Babe?” Danny said looking up from his paperwork.

“I… uh… was wondering,” he coughed, “could you… teach me how to sign?” He finally asked, not daring to meet Danny’s eyes for fear of ridicule or of being refused.

Danny’s eyes however were glistening slightly, so shocked and yet completely grateful for the amazing man in front of him that was his partner. “Of course I will, I’d love to, Grace will be so thrilled,” Danny smiled, hands forcing Steve to meet his gaze. “Thank you,” he added softly.

“For what?” Steve asked confused but so glad that Danny wasn’t currently laughing him away.

“For being you, the caring and trustworthy man that you are,” Danny said, blushing slightly at the emotional conversation they were having.

Steve smiled, unsure of what he could possibly reply with, he simply asked another question; “Uh, what does this mean?” he asked while trying to replicate Grace’s earlier hand movements, albeit poorly.

“You mean this?” Danny questioned, running his finger’s against either side of his neck, from shoulder to the base of his throat, fingers hooking together slightly where they met before flicking down, exactly as Grace had done.

“Yeah, that?”

"Its Grace's sign name for me, its meant to represent a tie, I think it was one of her very first signs directed towards me and then it just stuck,” Danny explained with a smile, tugging at his ever present tie, causing Steve to chuckle slightly.

“Of course,” he said, repeating the hand movements, trying to get Grace’s nickname for Danny perfect.

“Don’t you dare start using that to call me!” Danny threatened, no heat behind his words as he helped move Steve’s hands correctly.  
The two of them spent many hours, until the morning light began to stream in from the windows, going over various signs again and again. Grace awoke early the next morning and padded down the stairs in search of her father, laughing when she found him on the couch with Steve, both men fast asleep in each other’s arms.

 

-End.  
Let me know what you thought?!


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